Training of Local Government Personnel in Africa

Abstract

Local government in its conventional form has had a long and chequered history in many African countries. In the early colonial days the focal point of local government was the chief and his elders through whom the colonial administrators administered the people. Apart from the maintenance of law and order, the chief was responsible for the collection of taxes and acted as the main channel of communication between the local people and the government. He also presided over the Native Authority as the local unit of administration was then known. These institutions were staffed mainly by junior personnel such as correspondence clerks, court scribes, tax clerks and book-keepers. Their functions were mainly routine and rudimentary. As in the civil service, there were no formal training procedures and personnel were expected to acquire the necessary experience on-the-job.